WASHINGTON — Florida’s Gov. Rick Scott and gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis on Thursday pushed back against President Donald Trump’s attempt to cast doubt on Puerto Rico’s official death toll in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

I disagree with @POTUS– an independent study said thousands were lost and Gov. Rosselló agreed. I’ve been to Puerto Rico 7 times & saw devastation firsthand. The loss of any life is tragic; the extent of lives lost as a result of Maria is heart wrenching. I’ll continue to help PR

Scott, a Republican who is running for Senate, is generally considered an ally to Trump.

The president voiced his support for Scott in a tweet last week, saying that he “is doing a fantastic job as Governor.”

Rick Scott of Florida is doing a fantastic job as Governor. Jobs are pouring into the State and its economic health is better than ever before. He is strong on Crime, Borders, and loves our Military and Vets. Vote for Rick on Tuesday!

A spokesperson for DeSantis, a former Florida congressman whom Trump has endorsed for governor of the Sunshine State, said the Republican hopeful doesn’t believe any loss of life has been inflated.

Scott and DeSantis are not the only high-profile Republicans to cast doubt on the president’s claims.

House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin said during a press conference Thursday that he has “no reason to dispute these numbers.”

Earlier in the day, Trump had claimed on Twitter that “3000 people did not die” because of Hurricane Maria.

3000 people did not die in the two hurricanes that hit Puerto Rico. When I left the Island, AFTER the storm had hit, they had anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths. As time went by it did not go up by much. Then, a long time later, they started to report really large numbers, like 3000…

He also claimed, without evidence, that the high death toll was politically motivated.

…..This was done by the Democrats in order to make me look as bad as possible when I was successfully raising Billions of Dollars to help rebuild Puerto Rico. If a person died for any reason, like old age, just add them onto the list. Bad politics. I love Puerto Rico!